maskormenace

[ When a familiar face pops up on the network, he's looking a lot less dead than he had looked during his last appearance. In fact, he looks entirely well aside from the dark circles underneath his eyes and a slight pallor to his skin, something that can be attributed just as much to stress as it can injury. ]

Hey, everyone. It's Jaime. And the Blue Beetle, I guess. That cat's extremely out of the bag.

[ He takes a deep breath. ]

I don't really know what to say, except that the Negotiator's dead, so everyone should be safe now - not that I'm the guy you have to thank for that, but the people who did were just doing the right thing. And that I'm sorry, for everything about happened. I knew that the Negotiator was bad news, but I didn't think - I didn't think he'd do that. But I knew. And I'm sorry I didn't do anything about him sooner.

[ He glances off-camera for a moment, teeth worrying at his lip. He looks like there's something else he wants to say, but he eventually leaves the matter be. ]

If there's anything I can do to help anyone who was hurt in all that, it's the least I can do. And... thank you to everyone who tried to help, or who fought back. From me and the Scarab. He -- I -- [ He shakes his head. ] Ah, damn it.

[ Words have never been his strong point. He cuts the feed. ]

[ NOTE: This post comes a couple days after THIS ordeal! If you'd rather see him in person, whether in the hospital (the first day), at his home, or evading the press, feel free to check out my CATCH-ALL. ]

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God. I don't know how I'm gonna show my face anywhere after this.

[ He's dreading it. He crept out briefly already and the press had already been hounding him. How's he going to go back to work? To school? To Church? ]

Thanks, I guess.

[ She gets what dealing what the assholes in the press is like- hell, she was sort of one, though in a different way than he's likely experiencing. She's trying to sound a bit soft when she speaks. ]

You'll probably be welcome anywhere imPort-run, that's for sure. [ A pause. ] But the problem's getting there, yeah. I know.

[ He sighs. ]

Yeah. I guess you would know. Believe it or not, it's not really a problem I've had to deal with before.

[ His shield of being too boring to bother with has officially been crushed. ]

Oh, I can believe it. I always thought you were surprisingly normal...

[ He can't see it, but she sucks in one of her cheeks briefly, thinking. Is this a bad question? ] If you don't mind me asking- how the hell did you manage to keep it up that long? It's genuinely impressive, you know.

Because I am pretty normal. Aside from the obvious. I just kept being exactly who I've been my whole life.

[ And it's true. Jaime's always been a quiet sort of kid, always been good-natured and well-behaved to the point of slipping between the cracks if he really wanted to. ]

Nobody suspected I was anything special before I became the Blue Beetle. So why would they suspect anything afterwards?

I mean, you're from a world with superheroes and weren't one. Around the rest of us imPorts? There's barely anyone else who seems as...down to earth as you. It made me suspicious.

[ Now that she says that, though, it feels pretty fucked up. She sighs. ]

Which- I shouldn't have been thinking that way, probably. Even if I was right. It's not like I wanted you to get hurt like that, I just...I don't know. [ A pause. ] You seemed too experienced to just be some guy. Does that make sense?

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